{"id":18516,"date":"2026-06-08T18:27:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/pope-leo-uses-spain-visit-to-press-europe-on-abortion-migration-and-peace\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:27:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:57:20","slug":"pope-leo-uses-spain-visit-to-press-europe-on-abortion-migration-and-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/pope-leo-uses-spain-visit-to-press-europe-on-abortion-migration-and-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo uses Spain visit to press Europe on abortion, migration and peace"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_1Kxw7frZ1RQ?ui_title_intro=Listen+now%3A&amp;client=wp&amp;client_version=3.1.5\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>MADRID (RNS) \u2014 In an historic address to the Spanish Parliament on Monday (June 8), Pope Leo XIV gave, by his description, \u201ca calm and firm word\u201d for the respect of human life, from the unborn, to migrants and the elderly. Experts say his message is meant to be a warning to all of Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Human existence is threatened by a \u201cthrowaway culture,\u201d Leo said, echoing the words of his predecessor Pope Francis. Leo questioned what future a society that disregards human life can have. \u201cCan a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>Defense of human life is not a particular or religious interest, Leo said, \u201cit is a goal of civilization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence,\u201d the pope said, adding that through this principle \u201cthe moral greatness of a nation is manifested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spain is among the most socially liberal countries in Europe. Though historically Catholic \u2014 and with a majority of Spaniards still self-identifying as Catholic (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/992681\/share-of-catholics-in-spain\/\">around 55%<\/a>) \u2014 regular church attendance is far lower and a growing share of the population identifies as atheist, agnostic or unaffiliated. The country is considering following in the footsteps of France and making a Constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights. In 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Spain also legalized euthanasia and medically assisted dying.<\/p>\n<p>Madrid was the first stop in Leo\u2019s weeklong visit to Spain (June 6-12), before traveling on to Barcelona and the Canary Islands. His speech in front of the assembly of Spanish lawmakers, known as Las Cortes, was followed by a 7-minute\u00a0 standing ovation and represented a \u201chistoric moment,\u201d according to the editorial director of the Spanish Radio station COPE, Jos\u00e9 Rest\u00e1n, because no pope had addressed the country\u2019s parliamentarians directly before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pope comes there and speaks to everyone,\u201d Rest\u00e1n said. \u201cI think that from Spain the pope can send a message to all of Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to migration, in particular, as many European countries face political tension over immigration policies. This year, the Spanish left-leaning government approved a plan to give legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants and in 2024 the country naturalized more than 250,000 foreign residents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMigration is a reason for strong division and can be used by one side and the other in the next elections,\u201d Rest\u00e1n said. About 9.5 million immigrants live in Spain, about 20% of its nearly 50 million inhabitants, according to Spain\u2019s National Statistics Institute. Most hail from Morocco, Colombia, Romania, Venezuela and Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>In his speech, Leo framed the migration question as a \u201cmoral and legal\u201d issue, stating that discrimination against migrants is a violation of the universal principles of equal human dignity for all. The pope said there are two main issues that must be addressed: creating legal pathways to citizenship with the promotion and integration of migrants in society; and ensuring that people can remain in their native countries by providing safety, dignity and peace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA coordinated, supportive, and effective response is indispensable, one capable of guaranteeing protection, welcome, and real opportunities for integration to those who migrate,\u201d Leo said.<\/p>\n<p>Peace was another central theme of the pope\u2019s speech. \u201cIt is therefore a cause for concern that, in various parts of the world, and in Europe as well, rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Security, he added, can be achieved thorough \u201cjustice, patient dialogue, respect for international law.\u201d The lives of people should take precedence over interests that profit from war, he said. Leo condemned the use of artificial intelligence being used in warfare, stating that lethal action must remain a human responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Pedro Sanchez, the center-left Prime Minister of Spain, has made the country one of Europe\u2019s loudest voices against the U.S. war on Iran, calling it \u201cunjustifiable\u201d and \u201cillegal.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p>While the Catholic Church in Spain has collaborated with Spain\u2019s current government on some issues, there has been friction between the church and state. \u201cOn issues such as migration, war and other questions, it may seem that there are points of agreement\u00a0between some of the statements made by this government and those made by the church,\u201d said Archbishop Luis Arg\u00fcello of Valladolid, President of the Spanish bishops\u2019 conference.<\/p>\n<p>But on life issues, the archbishop said, the church and Sanchez couldn\u2019t be further apart. \u201cThe key to everything is how you conceive of a person,\u201d he said, reaffirming the church\u2019s stance against abortion and euthanasia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is important is that whatever proposals are made, the person be cared for in his or her dignity,\u201d Arg\u00fcello said.<\/p>\n<p>Leo\u2019s speech started with a lengthy preamble on the history of Spain as a place of culture and science. He mentioned the School of Salamanca, a group of jurists and theologians who in the 16th century laid the groundwork for human rights and international law.<\/p>\n<p>He underlined the need to ensure religious liberty as a \u201cdecisive issue for any truly democratic society.\u201d Leo called for respect for families who have a right to choose the education of their children based on their moral, cultural and religious convictions. Spain\u2019s goverment has sought to reduce the role of religion in public schools, which has led to tensions with the local church.<\/p>\n<p>He also appealed for legal protections for the sacramental seal of confession, which has been the subject of debate in some European countries in the aftermath of the sexual abuse crisis.<\/p>\n<p>In the highly polarized political debate in Spain, there is a risk that the pope\u2019s words will become political tools in the weeks to come, said Rafael Rubio, the communications coordinator of the Spanish organizers of the papal trip. \u201cBut the message of the pope is too important and had to be made,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Leo acknowledged the divisions within Spanish society, reflected in many Western countries, and repeated his appeal to \u201cdisarm language\u201d and promote a society centered on dialogue and diplomacy.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/06\/08\/pope-leo-uses-spain-visit-to-press-europe-on-abortion-migration-and-peace\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MADRID (RNS) \u2014 In an historic address to the Spanish Parliament on Monday (June 8), Pope Leo XIV gave, by his description, \u201ca calm and firm word\u201d for the respect of human life, from the unborn, to migrants and the elderly. Experts say his message is meant to be a warning to all of Europe. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}